Penn Men's Lax Dedicates New Field to 'Ace' Adams

PHILADELPHIA - More than 30 years after he
coached them, Jim "Ace" Adams is still an important person to
almost everyone who played for the Penn men's lacrosse program
during the 1970s.

That message was sent this past March, when his former Quaker
players bestowed about as fine an honor as you can bestow on a
coach—they raised enough money to get a field named after
him. One of the two new multi-sport fields with a FieldTurf surface
in the University's glossy new, 24-acre Penn Park at the Eastern
edge of campus, the James F. "Ace" Adams Field sits on the Eastern
edge of the park—practically in the shadow of Philadelphia's
Center City skyline—and opened for business last September.
It is the first field at Penn named after a former coach.

Walk past the sign outside the fencing, and this is what you
will read: "Named in honor of the Men's Head Lacrosse Coach from
1970-77. May the student athletes who compete on this field develop
the life-long common bonds that are created by the virtues of team
competition that educators like Coach Adams embody. These
principles and values are evidenced by the spirit and commitment of
those who come to Penn to learn from coaches like him." The sign
also lists the Charter Donors to the campaign, and it reads like a
who's who of Penn lacrosse from one of its most prosperous
eras.

"It is very exciting to have this field named after one of the
greats in college lacrosse," said Penn's current head coach, Mike
Murphy. "It is particularly special for me, having been recruited
by Coach Adams to UVA, and then to compete against him as a
student-athlete at Duke, and now to follow in his footsteps as a
coach here at Penn—it really is an honor."

The official ceremony took place on Saturday, March 10, prior to
the current team's game with Villanova. Approximately 20 former
players, Adams disciples all, were on hand to honor their
mentor.

"When we officially dedicated the field with Coach Adams coming
back for our Alumni Day, it was a truly great event," said Murphy.
"There were dozens of alumni back, spanning generations. We
celebrated the past—in honor of Coach Adams—as well as
the present and future, which Adams Field will so positively
impact.

"It also speaks to the tradition and support the men's lacrosse
program has here at Penn," Murphy continued. "Our first season was
in 1900, and it's a proud tradition with many truly great people
associated with it. Their dedication and commitment to Penn
Lacrosse is evident in their support, and their decision to name
this facility after their coach speaks to both their selflessness
and his greatness."

"Coach Adams represents what a collegiate coach is all about,"
said Athletic Overseer Chuck Leitner, C'81, who spearheaded the
fundraising effort. "He set a first-class standard. Penn was
fortunate to have Coach leading its men's lacrosse program in the
1970s, and those who were lucky enough to spend time with him in
those years are better for it."

(You can almost hear the wistfulness in Leitner's voice when he
talks about the luck of the players who played for Coach Adams. He
was in fact recruited to Penn by Adams, but then the coach left the
summer before he arrived on campus.)

"Coach Adams taught his student-athletes not only to excel on
the field and in the classroom, but also to have a positive impact
on the world at large," said Athletic Director Steve Bilsky W'71,
who was a member of the Penn men's basketball team when Adams
arrived on campus.

Adams, of course, is one of the great names in college lacrosse
coaching. He was Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Penn from 1970-77,
coming to Philadelphia after a standout 12-year career at Army
where he won a trio of national championships and was the United
States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Coach of the
Year in 1961. The Quakers went a combined 51-34 under Adams'
tutelage, including a 10-2 mark in 1977 when the Quakers finished
the year ranked fourth. Adams also led Penn to its first two NCAA
Championship appearances, in 1975 and 1977; both times the Quakers
fell to Navy in the quarterfinal round. He coached 17 All-Americans
at Penn.

Adams left Penn after the 1977 season to become the head coach
at the University of Virginia, a job he held until his retirement
in 1992. During his tenure there, he led the Cavaliers to 12 NCAA
Championship appearances including seven semifinal games and two
runner-up finishes (both times the losses coming in overtime). At
the time of his retirement from coaching in 1992, he was second
behind only Massachusetts' Dick Garber in career wins (285).

What is perhaps most impressive is that Adams accomplished some
of his greatest feats as a coach after he had been inducted into
the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame; that happened in 1975, when he
was still coaching at Penn. Prior to his coaching career, Adams
played at Johns Hopkins where he was a three-time USILA All-America
and played on three national championship squads. A superb athlete,
Adams also played football and basketball for the Blue Jays.